Liverpool will be looking to continue their resurgence under Kenny Dalglish when they face Braga in the last 16 of the Europa League on Thursday.Dalglish’s side, who are unbeaten in the competition so far, head to Portugal on the back of an impressive 3-1 win over English Premier League leaders Manchester United at Anfield on Sunday.They will have to make do without influential captain Steven Gerrard, however, who has not travelled with the squad after suffering a recurrence of the groin injury that kept him out of both legs of Liverpool’s round-of-32 triumph over Sparta Prague.New striker Luis Suarez is also unavailable, with the Uruguayan cup tied having represented former club Ajax in the Champions League this season. On a positive note, 35 million-pound signing Andy Carroll could be set for another cameo from the bench, with the former Newcastle forward unlikely to start as he battles back to full fitness after a groin complaint.Liverpool will have to be at their best to keep their unbeaten record intact as Braga have won five of their six home games in Europe this season, including a 2-0 win over Arsenal in the Champions League.Although Domingos Paciencia’s side have struggled for form recently domestically – sitting in sixth spot in Liga Sagres – they will come into the game buoyed by a 2-1 victory over reigning league champions Benfica on Sunday.
The agent of Serbia star Milos Krasic has insisted his clients reported move to Juventus is still on the cards, despite the Old Lady not meeting his current club's valuation.
CSKA Moscow chiefs are seeking more than what the Serie A side are offering and his representative, Dejan Joksimovic, admitted there is still some way to go before a deal is concluded.
Speaking to reporters, he said:"Juventus are offering 15million euros for Krasic, but the Russian club will not let him leave for such a figure.
"There is also contact with Manchester City, Inter and Fenerbahce. The English club could make an offer worth euros 18million, but we are still waiting to see whether CSKA receive such an offer.
"As it stands, the best offer that has been submitted is from the Turkish side, but Milos has no intention whatsoever to go from Russia to Turkey.
"He wants to go to Juve, but wait and see what Manchester City do.
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England under-21’s beat Norway 2-1 in Drammen on Monday night to make it three wins out of three games in the European championships qualification process.
Goals from Craig Dawson and Jordan Henderson gave Stuart Pearce’s men a 2-0 lead within six minutes, but Valon Berisha pulled one back for the hosts midway through the first half.
The West Brom defender gave the visitors the lead after three minutes, powering home a Henri Lansbury corner with a bullet header.
Henderson doubled the lead soon after, converting Ross Barkley’s centre to give the British team a comfortable advantage.
Despite increased pressure from the Scandinavian side in the second half, the Young Lions held on for an excellent victory, and are now on top of qualification pool 8 for the tournament in Israel in 2013.
England were without some of their more recognised players, and with only one striker available in the form of Marvin Sordell, the win must be seen as an excellent result.
The victory follows convincing wins over Azerbaijan and Iceland, and the side now take on Belgium and Iceland once-more in November.
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Palmeiras were denied the chance to extend their lead in the Campeonato Paulista when they were held 0-0 by Mogi Mirim on Sunday.The league leaders, managed by former Chelsea boss Luiz Felipe Scolari, could not find a winner at the Est?dio Romildo Vitor Gomes Ferreira, and were down to ten men at the final whistle after goalkeeper Bruno Cortez was dismissed late.Corinthians handed Santos their first loss in the league this season with a 3-1 triumph at Estadio Municipal Paulo Machado de Carvalho.Fabio Santos scored a brace, while Liedson added a late goal to seal the match.Former Manchester City and Galatasaray midfielder Elano scored the only goal for Santos.Mirassol won their third consecutive match with a 2-0 victory over Linense at the Estadio Jose Maria de Campos Maia to move into second spot on the table.Sao Bernardo went 2-0 up inside 18 minutes against Noroeste, and that was all they required to hold on for the win, with Danielzinho and Dirceu netting the goals at the Estadio Primeiro de Maio.Ponte Preta brought up their third win on the trot, and their eighth game unbeaten, with a 3-1 come-from-behind victory over Botafogo at Estadio Moises Lucarelli.Assis put the visitors ahead after 12 minutes with his first goal in the Paulista, but a stunning nine-minute goal spree saw Ponte Preta overrun their opponents to come out comfortable victors.Ferron (30th minute), Marcio Diogo (32nd) and Dirceu Lucas (39th) were the goalscorers for Ponte Preta.
After Wolverhampton Wanderers defeated the Hungarian side Honved, containing the great Puskas, in 1954 the British press eulogised the hard fought, battling win. It characterised the tenets of English football that were so conservatively and obstinately clung to: spirit, pride, and directness. But the truth is Wolves cleverly used home advantage to restrict the Hungarians by heavily watering the Molineux pitch (in December mind you, when it had been raining incessantly for four days anyway) and it soon became a quagmire, not allowing any kind of possession passing play, favouring the direct long balls into the front men. Even then, it took a late winner from Roy Swinbourne to send Wolves to a thrilling 3-2 victory.
The victory is an example of two variables that have greatly influenced the unusually slow progression of English football. The first is a cultural conservatism to anything new – in this case, an advancement of tactics in the game. England had been badly beaten by the Hungarian national team (7-1 in Budapest and 6-3 at Wembley) and the defeats highlighted the need to progress from the W-M formation that was almost uniformly employed through all levels of English football (much like the 4-4-2 until recent years in the domestic top flight). Many publications sadly reflected on the decline of the national game and understood a change was needed yet not a great deal actually changed and the Wolves victory, counterproductively, added steam to the argument that spirit, speed and long balls were still all that was needed to contend with the best sides.
The second variable is inextricably linked to the first. It came in the form of a press more willing to adhere to past successes than feel the need to evolve. Though there was an understanding that the W-M was largely at fault, it was nonetheless implicitly defended by many commentators, ‘Hungary’s ball jugglers can be checked by firm tackling,’ wrote Frank Coles of the Daily Telegraph. Hungary right back, Jeno Buzansky, acknowledged that although they had at their disposal some truly great players (Puskas, Hidegkuti, Czibor and Kocsis) it was primarily a tactical evolvement and superiority that led them to their crushing victories:
“It was because of tactics that Hungary won. The match showed the clash of two formations and, as often happens, the newer, more developed formation prevailed.”
As standalone examples these aren’t enough to justify why pragmatism was still preferred to innovation. If we take Tottenham Hotspur as an example of radicalism in the 40s, before the humiliating defeats to Hungary, Arthur Rowe had brought back to English shores an extended understanding of the fruits of the passing game. Rowe had been working with the Hungarians and complimented Tottenham’s history of preferring a close-passing game when he was appointed manager in 1949. They won the title in the 50-51 season yet even their success was regarded by many with scepticism and did not cause a mass progression in the English game.
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A further stigma to evolving ideals on the football pitch came in the form of Charles Reep (and later Charles Hughes’ FA coaching policy) and his pedagogical analysis of statistics in the English game. Reep posited that direct long balls provided far more success and led to more goal scoring opportunities – 91.5% of all moves consisted of three or fewer passes and 80% of all goals scored resulted from moves of three or fewer passes. What’s shocking is how quickly these stilted statistics were perpetuated and misinterpreted by those responsible for the future security of the game. Why didn’t anyone counter Reep by saying that if only 8.5% of all moves had more than three complete passes yet led to 20% of all goals scored, logic would tell us that the long ball is less effective. We seemed to have misunderstood the common play as the best play. Even more myopic was Reep and his followers discounting conditions and the dynamics of a real life football match (hotter climates would mean possession is more important, the stats ignored possession play leading to dead ball goals, or chances that were forced by tiring an opponent and inducing error).
This has all led to a strict distaste for innovation and set an early precedent for speed and athleticism taking priority over technique and tactical flexibility in the English game. If we look at the England team that just faced Mexico – even throughout qualification – I found it frustrating and boring to watch a modified 4-4-2 being employed when it has seemed, for a while now, that something more like a 4-3-3 would suit a forward trio of Gerrard (he’s played as an auxiliary forward for more than two seasons now at Liverpool), Rooney (proved he can be spectacular when leading the line alone) and a right sided winger (most likely Lennon). Two holding midfielders – since without Hargreaves we don’t seem to actually have one player who’s a destructive, genuine ball winner – would also allow Lampard the freedom of position he’s thrived in at Chelsea for more than five seasons. I concede that this example isn’t so much the players’ fault but in 2004, prior to the European Championships, I remember the team requesting a change from Eriksson to a flatter 4-4-2 that they were most comfortable playing in. This is a sure sign of tactical inflexibility and it’s something that is the product of generations’ worth of staunch, sometimes blind, adherence to past successes.
Pragmatism is a word ascribed to the English method far too easily and it ameliorates the stubborn lack of innovation that has dogged our leagues, from non-league to the top flight. Managers such as Mourinho and Benitez have facilitated a much more tactically astute approach to the past ten years in the Premier League. Though their teams are by no means aesthetic they have proven successful and it has certainly aided a development in the top teams. But the rigidity of Reep and Hughes can still be found outside the Premier League. A problem, as I commented in an earlier article debating the progression since the uniformly adopted 4-4-2, is that it is difficult to find the cause of: do we play rigid football because we do not have the skill to expand? Or do we not have the skill to expand because we play rigid football?
It’s certainly clear that a passing oriented game requires technical mastery and at lower leagues, where this is lacking, the attempt to play possession football inevitably leads to more errors and opportunities for the opposition. With the onus being on winning instead of innovation/progression it is tough to see an evolution of football at grassroots level because we’re still perpetuating the inflexibility characteristic of the English way. I maintain it is wrong for our youth players not to understand the need for depth in tactical knowledge and broader insights into the game need to be introduced if we are to break the cycle of rigid conservatism.
“I can’t believe that in England they don’t teach young players to be multi-functional,” Mourinho said whilst at Chelsea, “To them it’s just about knowing one position and playing one position…a striker is just a striker and that’s it. For me, a striker is not just a striker. He is somebody who has to move, who has to cross, and who has to do this in a 4-4-2 or in a 4-3-3 or in a 3-5-2, each of which is different….Because what happens if later he has a manager who likes to play 4-5-1 or a 3-5-2? What happens to him then?”
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Sources:
Inverting the Pyramid, Jonathan Wilson
The Italian Job, Gianluca Vialli & Gabriele Marcotti
Arsene Wenger has attracted widespread criticism over the past six months or so for a failure to address the systematic problems apparently inherent in his side. A flawed transfer policy and a failure to react quickly and decisively to unfolding events have been the main rebukes against his judgement. We are in unfamiliar territory here; Wenger simply isn’t used to scrutiny this severe or reactions this knee-jerk. A lot of the problems at Arsenal at present are of the manager’s making, but there would appear to be no better alternative out there to sorting them out than Wenger himself.
Arsene Wenger is a deeply stubborn individual. Almost to a fault. He’s continued far too long with certain players in the past when it’s become abundantly clear that they simply aren’t good enough. To criticise him is entirely natural considering the start Arsenal have had to their campaign. Blind faith in a manager is a dangerous commodity and Arsenal fans are well within their right to demand more after an indifferent and inauspicious start to proceedings.
Arsenal have so far in their opening six league fixtures, lost heavily to Man Utd 8-2, disappointingly to Liverpool 2-0 and unfathomably to Blackburn 4-3. It’s been a struggle, let’s make no bones about that, but it’s far from panic stations just yet and there is plenty of time for things to be put right.
Wenger, albeit late on in the transfer window, moved to address the holes in his squad made by the departures of Samir Nasri and Cesc Fabregas. Most would argue that both departures were inevitable and that he should have planned for them a lot earlier on. But it’s worth noting that Wenger hasn’t paid over the odds for any of his new acquisitions and that in Jack Wilshere and Aaron Ramsey, Wenger may already have his two replacements.
But are those calling for his head within reason?
No, is the short and simple answer. It’s worth looking at the clubs Arsenal are competing against for the top four. They operate within an entirely different financial sphere to the Gunners and Wenger has done well up until this point to make his team’s competitive.
Wenger has always been a manager to focus on unearthing tomorrow’s next big talent and nurturing them, whereas the likes of Man Utd. Chelsea and now Man city can simply go out and pay top whack for them as they approach their prime.
Arsenal have qualified for the Champions League for 14 straight seasons, an astonishing achievement. The club may have gone 6 seasons without a trophy, but he is also arguably the club’s greatest ever manager alongside Herbert Chapman.
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A readdressing of the fans expectations needs to happen. Arsenal are a top four club at best at the moment. They have no divine right to challenge for trophies every season, it’s merely something which they‘ve become accustomed to earlier on in Wenger‘s trophy-laden reign.
They are in a group located behind the Manchester duopoly and Chelsea. They can be best bracketed alongside the likes of Liverpool and Spurs as clubs with the potential to break into the top four and it should be by no means be seen as a given.
Wenger has become so entrenched in Arsenal’s recent history that the club from top to bottom has been shaped in his own image. Just how difficult would it be for another manager to come in now? It could potentially set the club back years. Time and patience is the key.
Liverpool are undergoing a rebuilding process that requires both in abundance at the moment. Arsenal are now about to go through theirs. There will be inconsistent and infuriating performances in equal measure along the course of a long campaign, but as Chief Executive Ivan Gazidis stated last week: “He did not suddenly become a bad manager or somebody who became out of touch with the game. That is complete nonsense.”
Arsenal’s latest failings will have hurt Wenger more than anybody else. What Wenger needs now is the time to turn things around. The tide appears to be turning with concerns to Wenger’s stubbornness and he’s finally accepted that in order for Arsenal to be successful once more, he may have to adapt himself as well as his side.
A change in the club’s style of play from one that needlessly focuses on keeping possession and lacks penetration to a counter-attacking side appears to be well under way. The players have let their manager down so far, a reaction is most definitely required. Wenger remains the right man for the job, albeit with a tinkering of a well-worn philosophy, for removing him now could have drastic repercussions on the club’s long-term future.
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Senegalese star Demba Ba struck a brace to steer West Ham United towards a three-goal comeback in his first start for Avram Grant’s side since arriving from Bundesliga outfit Hoffenheim in January.
The Hammers were three goals down at the interval but were spurred on by Ba’s double to force a dramatic tie by the 83rd minute.
The former Hoffenheim striker arrived at West Ham last month after scoring 37 goals in his three-and-a-half-year stay in the Bundesliga.
He spent much of last year’s campaign on the sidelines due to injuries and reportedly failed a medical ahead of a transfer to Bundesliga side Stuttgart.
But 25-year-old Ba returned to form this term and managed six goals in 17 showings for Hoffenheim before demanding a Premier League move in January and refusing to take part in his club’s training camp.
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Stoke City were apparently close to signing the player but it was reported he had failed a medical before Avram Grant’s West Ham swooped for the African forward.
Did you know that one major transfer deadline has already passed? It may have failed to get Jim White hot under the collar but I bet a few members of the Geordie Nation stayed up half the night. The hours ticked down, fans went from staring at the infamous Sky Sports News ticker to the night sky, praying that a helicopter wouldn’t scoop their star striker away, or worse still drop off Ryan Babel as a replacement.
As daylight broke to signal the arrival of August it was confirmed that Senegal international Demba Ba would remain at Newcastle after a deadline to activate a release clause expired. According to reports a bid of just £7.5m would have freed the 27-year-old from his contract, which begs the question why every club seemingly declined such an opportunity?
Ba had just enjoyed his most successful campaign in the Premier League, finishing as the club’s leading scorer with 16 goals. However, a disastrous spell at the Africa Cup of Nations coupled with the arrival of compatriot Papiss Cisse saw his role in the team altered and meant he scored just once during the remainder of the season. Nevertheless the public knowledge of his release clause should have sparked a transfer tussle as teams fought for his affection.
The main contenders for his signature were Turkish juggernauts Galastaray and Fenerbache whilst Rubin Kazan provided one of a few destinations that could offer a colder winter than the one Ba currently endured in Tyneside. It was certainly surprising not to see any Premier League teams make a move, especially as both Liverpool and Spurs look increasingly bereft of any firepower. The deal could have been the latest in a long line of transfer coups for Daniel Levy whilst fans at Anfield would have surely relished a transfer that didn’t come with a grossly inflated fee.
Despite Ba’s obvious credentials on the pitch, a big question mark still resides over the status of his long-term knee trouble. Tony Pulis dubbed the joint a ‘ticking time bomb’ when his move to Stoke collapsed in 2011 whilst Alan Pardew has since labelled it a ‘deficiency’. Newcastle are currently reaping the rewards for the risk they took on Ba but it has recently come to light that they refused to re-negotiate his complex pay-as-you-play contract until next summer. An indication that his future will continue to remain in doubt.
It is worth considering that the player was never interested in a move away from the Magpies despite his constant presence in the tabloid newspapers. Shortly before the July 31 milestone Ba gave an interview to the Journal from Newcastle’s training base in Portugal in which he outlined his commitment to the club.
“The newspapers and I are not very friendly at the moment. For months and months and months, people have been talking about me, but there is nothing happening.
“Of course, I am looking forward to next season with Newcastle. We just have to build on the progress we made last season. For me, I just can’t wait to start the first game.” (Telegraph)
There is every reason for Ba to be content with life on Tyneside at present. Alan Pardew has masterminded a magnificent revival at a club that many considered on the brink just a few short years ago. The likes of Tiote, Cabaye and Hatem Ben Arfa have been welcome additions to the squad and helped re-establish the Toon Army as a dominant force in the Premier League. Pardew has vowed to reinstate Ba in his preferred central attacking role for “90% of the time” next season and their failed attempts to snag FC Twente’s promising striker Luuk de Jong and former talisman Andy Carroll will see him continue to be a prominent member of the side.
A season of new challenges awaits Newcastle with heavier expectations in the league and a stage set for Ba and co to flourish on the European circuit. Their hectic schedule will mean Pardew has to utilise every inch of his squad’s impressive depth but for once, the chants of ‘Thursday night, Channel 5’ will bring a smile to a set of supporters.
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Join me on Twitter @theunusedsub where I will continue to sing the praises of ‘Pardiola’.
After Manchester United set down a huge marker against Arsenal in their recent 8-2 victory, questions are being asked whether this new generation at Old Trafford now has the ability to go on and conquer Europe and win the Champions League?
There is little doubt that this is an impressive set of young players who have a bright future ahead of them and they certainly have the ability to claim United’s 20th league title this season, although their City rivals may have something to say on the matter.
What has impressed me most so far this season is this the strength of the squad Ferguson has built. In their recent trashing of Arsenal the side were missing the main defensive partnership of Ferdinand and Vidic, there was no place for Carrick, Fletcher, Giggs, Park or Valencia in the midfield and upfront, the superb Hernandez and last season’s top scorer Berbatov were left on the bench. With an average age of just 23 it is obvious that Ferguson has done a marvelous job putting together a new team but are they ready to challenge Barcelona for the Champions League this year?
This new crop of young footballers mixed with experienced players should help United progress to the final stages of the Champions League once again, but I just cannot see the current side getting past Barcelona unless Ferguson finds a way of competing against them.
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Ferguson’s new generation at Old Trafford is made up of recent young signings and players brought through their impressive youth system who have gained experience on loan at other Premier League clubs.
This youth mixed with experience has worked well for Ferguson in the past and he is obviously hoping that this team will be just as successful.
Why can’t United win the Champions League then? Well the same reason they didn’t last year, standing in their way are one of the greatest clubs sides ever to have existed in Barcelona. The bad news for United is that the Catalan side look an even better outfit this year after the summer arrivals of Fabregas, Sanchez and the emergence of Thiago adding to an already powerful team.
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In the final last year United were the better team for the first 20 minutes, hassling and chasing everything and making it difficult for Barca to play their game but then the Spanish champions took hold of the game and I think United lacked the sort of midfielder who could break up their play and then keep the ball. It was really disappointing to see a relatively inexperienced Barcelona defence untested, one shot on target all game says a lot. Unless Ferguson can find someone who can break up Barca’s majestic play it is unlikely they will be able to beat them again this year.
The Champions League looks a tougher prospect this year for all the teams involved as along with the usual challengers I think Manchester City will be a force in this season’s competition with the undoubted class they possess in their squad and it will be interesting to see how they get on in their debut campaign.
I believe that United will once again challenge for the top European honours this season but I think they will come up short as it will be difficult to topple such a strong Barcelona side that has only been improved this summer. The future may look very bright at Old Trafford but it could be one without the top European trophy with the Juggernaut that is Barcelona standing in their way.
Two months after he was sacked as coach of Brescia, Beppe Iachini is back in charge of the Serie A side.
Brescia moved quickly to remove Mario Beretta, the man who replaced Iachini on December 6, after the 3-0 home defeat to Chievo left the Rondinelle bottom of the table.
The loss, Brescia’s fifth in their last six games, sparked protests from angry fans who demanded a meeting with Beretta.
“I am not going,” Beretta told Sky Sport Italia television.
“They insulted me for 90 minutes. If they had been civil then I would’ve gone to the meeting, but in this atmosphere they can forget it.”
That paved the way for Iachini’s return. “I am sorry for Beretta, as he was unlucky in this experience,” Iachini said.
“I return with great enthusiasm to pick up the work that was interrupted. We need to rediscover the unity and spirit that took us to win the Serie B championship and get a good start to this season.
“I still have an excellent rapport with the fans and I know the President always had faith in me.”
“It will take something special to avoid relegation. I haven’t seen the recent games, so I’m not sure what awaits me. Quite aside from tactics, we need to find our self-belief again, our enthusiasm and remember to think as a team unit, not individuals.”
“We also hope for a bit more luck, which was notably absent from my last few matches in charge.”
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President Gino Corioni was less generous with Beretta’s plight.
“I never saw Brescia play football with him in charge,” Corioni said.
“It’s true, we lost with Iachini as well, but at least the team used to play.”